LaFayette Main Street celebrates year of downtown growth
BY SAM VISE
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Community leaders, local merchants and residents gathered at The Venue at Alabama E on Aug. 27 for the annual LaFayette Main Street meeting and dinner, celebrating a year of visible growth, volunteer service and downtown revitalizations while setting the stage for future investments.
Attendees enjoyed a meal catered by local favorite Krave Korner before the evening’s program got underway, bringing neighbors together over dinner to reflect on the organization’s progress.
Main Street Board President and LaFayette Fire Chief Jim Doody opened the evening by addressing the broader impact of local revitalization efforts, emphasizing that economic progress depends on collective buy-in across the community.
“Tonight is much more than sharing a meal. It’s about celebrating community progress, partnership and the people who are investing in the future of our city,” Doody said. “Main Street is more than a road that goes through the center of town. It represents the heart of our community. It’s where businesses have been built, friendships have been formed, generations have gathered and memories have been made. When our Main Street succeeds, our entire community benefits.”
Doody highlighted the importance of new entrepreneurship, spotlighting local business LaFayette Collision as a model of community commitment.
“Opening a new business requires more than financial investment. It takes courage, it takes vision and it takes confidence in the community where you choose to build,” he said. “When a new business chooses LaFayette, it sends an important message that our community is worth investing in, our people are worth serving and our future is worth believing in.”
Chambers County Sheriff Jeff Nelson took the podium to emphasize the unique charm and close-knit community fabric of LaFayette, comparing the town’s character with faster-growing regional hubs.
“You can go to any of the other cities in this county right now, but you will not find the home cooking that you find up here,” Nelson said. “Everybody knows each other. Everybody comes across each other every day in some shape, form or fashion. Everybody says hello, shakes hands, hugs... In a lot of the other areas in our county, things are going so fast-paced they’re missing a lot of things you need to slow down and see.”
Highlighting the historic courthouse square as the focal point of county life, Nelson added, “This is the heartbeat of the county. Everything y’all do in this county is seen. It’s seen not just by the people that live here. To the board, thank you for everything you’re doing up here. It doesn’t go unnoticed.”
LaFayette City Council Member Emily Milford reinforced the city’s forward trajectory, reflecting on the community’s steady progress and civic identity.
“LaFayette is in a good spot. We’ve got some momentum,” Milford said. “I do think we are changing, but we’re changing in our own way. We’re molding into the LaFayette that we want to be, and we’re not changing on other people’s terms. We’re headed in the direction we want to go.”
Milford also called on residents to keep communication channels open between citizens and local government to maintain community momentum.
“We all work together. We all have a common goal at the end of the day,” she said. “Stay involved, stay in the know with things.”
LaFayette Main Street Executive Director DeAnna Hand delivered the organization’s Year in Review, pointing to substantial financial gains and targeted public improvements over the past fiscal year.
Among the accomplishments, LaFayette Main Street secured more than $100,000 in public improvements, business support and tourism grants, as well as an additional $45,000 Innovate Alabama grant to launch an Innovation Hub at the LaFayette Main Street office. Private and public property investments accounted for over $104,000.
Hand also highlighted the awarding of 30 Small Business Improvement Grants — which backed projects including patio upgrades at 37 Motor City South, new murals and building renovations — alongside 20 digital media marketing grants to bolster local merchants’ visibility. Downtown LaFayette saw the addition of 15 new jobs and logged more than 2,000 volunteer service hours.
Looking ahead, Hand previewed upcoming projects, including a “Light Up LaFayette” facade lighting initiative, the expansion of events at the Spot on the Square, a music crawl with an inaugural community grill-off and new rounds of small business grant funding in January.
The evening concluded with LaFayette Main Street presenting its annual honors and awards:
Hometown Hero Award: Dr. Butch Busby
Main Street Volunteer of the Year: Faye Seroyer
Student Volunteer of the Year: Sarah Beth Bearden
Emerging Business of the Year: LaFayette Collision
Retail Business of the Year: The Blue Button
Service Business of the Year: Harmon Insurance
Public Space Improvement Award: The Spot on the Square
Distinguished Board Service Awards: Ansley Hall, Stanley Tucker and Dori Harmon
To close the meeting, attendees approved a new slate of directors to fill vacant board seats. Macy Harmon of Harmon Insurance, Brandon Ison of Piedmont Appraisers and Ericka McCullough of the Chambers County Development Authority were all elected to the board.
As the formal agenda adjourned, the room shifted from business to celebration. Guests lingered to visit and snap photos at a selfie booth provided by The Pearl, stepping out onto the newly improved balcony.
With the LaFayette Main Street queens greeting attendees and conversations carrying well past the closing remarks, the evening wrapped up as a true testament to small-town pride.
